Love, Trump, the West, and 3 million questions… a presentation of the facts and behind the scenes of Putin’s annual conference | news

Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared on Friday before his citizens during his annual conference, which he usually holds at the end of each year, at a time when tensions are rising between Moscow and Western capitals.

The conference was broadcast on giant screens throughout Russia, which follows 12 time zones due to its vast area.

During the conference, Putin received questions from the press and calls from ordinary people throughout Russia, via a live telephone line.

Today, Friday, the Kremlin said that Putin received about 3 million questions from citizens.

The following is a review of the prominent issues that Putin addressed at the conference:

It remains and expands in Ukraine

Before the event, some citizens expressed their hope that the war in Ukraine would end but on Moscow’s terms.

Accountant Lilia Reshetnyak said, “I have loved ones fighting in Donbass (eastern Ukraine) and I do not want us to give up positions there. This is the only thing that worries me.”

But she indicated that she would like to ask the Russian President about uncomfortable issues in the Russian-controlled territories in Ukraine, such as water scarcity.

In this axis, Putin confirmed that Moscow will seize the rest of eastern Ukraine by force if diplomatic efforts fail.

Putin said, “Our forces are advancing along the entire line of contact… and the enemy is retreating in all directions.”

He added, “I am convinced that we will witness more successes before the end of the year.”

Moscow has taken control of large parts of eastern Ukraine and is demanding that Kiev give up more territory as a condition for stopping the war.

Since the summer, Russia has been advancing rapidly on the ground, especially in the southern Zaporozhye region.

Serious consequences…a clear warning to the West

Putin accused the West of “deception” by continuing to expand the ranks of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), vowing that his country would not attack other countries “if you treat us with respect and take into account our interests.”

Putin’s conference comes at a time when the European Union is trying hard to help Kiev avoid an agreement that the United States pushed for and was considered a submission to Moscow, while the Kremlin seeks to exclude Europe from the negotiations.

In his speech on Friday, he warned of “severe” consequences if the European Union went ahead with the proposal to use frozen Russian assets in Europe to finance Ukraine’s defense.

He added that going ahead with this plan would be tantamount to “robbery.” “But why can’t they go ahead with this robbery? Because the consequences could be severe for the thieves,” he added.

Putin escalated his tone this week, describing European Union leaders as “pigs” and pledging to control the rest of the Ukrainian territories that Russia announced its annexation “by military means” if the talks fail.

Stable situation. The economy is fine

In another matter, Putin sought to reassure concerns about the slowdown of the Russian economy, which has focused primarily on defense industries for about 4 years.

He stressed that the Russian economy is in a stable situation, drawing a comparison with the slow growth in Europe.

Since its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has been suffering under the weight of heavy sanctions and persistent inflation. The economy is on the verge of recession, with growth barely exceeding zero.

During its press conference, the bank announced a reduction in the key interest rate by half a percentage point to 16%.

Special appreciation to Trump

In his speech, Putin praised his American counterpart, Donald Trump, who Western circles accuse of adopting Moscow’s point of view regarding the war in Ukraine.

Putin said: “President Trump is making serious efforts to end this conflict. He is doing so with all sincerity.”

He added: “The ball is now entirely in the court of our Western opponents, first and foremost the leaders of the Kiev regime, and in this case, above all, their European sponsors. We are ready for negotiations and a peaceful solution to the conflict.”

4 hours and embarrassing messages

He spoke for nearly 4 and a half hours. The event included strange moments and scathing comments from ordinary Russian citizens whose text messages appeared on a large screen in the hall.

A comment that appeared on the screen said: “Not a direct line, but a circus.”

Others complained about internet outages, contaminated water, and high costs of living.

Love, disguise and apology

Putin, who is divorced and 73 years old, was asked if he was in love, but he did not clarify.

In response to a question, Putin said that he was driving undercover in Moscow to understand what was happening in Russia.

During the conference, Putin granted the floor to Naran Ochir-Guriyev, in honor of his role in Russia’s storming of the Ukrainian city of Seversk.

Putin apologized to the widow of a soldier killed in battle after she said her family had not yet received the compensation they were owed. State media later reported that she had received the amount.

It is noteworthy that Putin has ruled Russia since 1999, and his foreign policies are characterized by hostility towards the West in general.

During his reign, Russian forces entered the territory of Kosovo in 1999, but quickly left. They then invaded Chechnya in the same year, took control of it, annexed it to the Russian Federation, and occupied parts of Georgia in 2008.

Also during his reign, Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, but the stage of the most confrontation with the West was in 2022, when Russian forces invaded Ukraine and later took control of 20% of its territory.